Making Good
by Sue Penkivech
Summary: Bobby and Kitty's daughter Elizabeth gets a writing assignment for school and recasts Wicked with the XMen as characters! Sequel to A Somewhat Familiar Fairy Tale but can stand alone.
1. Chapter 1: Dear Old Chussets?

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. Or the Wizard of Oz, or Wicked. I just stuck them all together and got…this. Please don't sue, I'm making no money at it.

Thanks go out to Beaubier for awesome beta-ness and to Oldprydefan for reassuring me that I was no more insane than usual.

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Making Good

By Sue Penkivech

Chapter 1: Dear Old…Chussets?

Once upon a time...

Elizabeth stared at the words for a moment, then turned her pencil around and made quick work of erasing them, the pad of paper bumping against her legs as she scrubbed at it. Too babyish. She could do better than _that_, and would have to if she wanted a good grade in the assignment. Real stories didn't start that way. She raised the pencil up to her mouth and nibbled at the eraser, trying to focus her thoughts. She had the whole story in her head, but getting it _down_ – _that_ was the problem. As always.

She pulled the assignment sheet out of the back of her notebook and reread it. It was simple enough. Take a well-known story and rewrite it using people you knew, and make it address a social issue affecting our time. It sounded easy – and probably would be, once she got started. It was just getting started that was the problem. Her mom had told her stories when she was little, using the X-Men as characters in the Wizard of Oz. But as much as she'd liked them, she wanted to do it different.

And, well, Uncle Kurt had taken her to see Wicked last month in New York. It seemed the perfect compromise.

Finally, she lowered the pencil and leaned back against the tree, bending her knees so she could use her thighs as a make-shift table. And began again.

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Katherine's first sight of Chussets Academy wasn't what she had expected. A white, palatially imposing building stood at the end of a long approach, and she took a step backwards toward the carriage, where her father was already helping Paige into her chair.

"Now remember," he was saying, "if you need anything, let Katherine know. That's why she's here."

_The only reason_, she reflected, trying to ignore the parting gifts their father was bestowing upon her sister. She was here to help Paige. And, perhaps, to be out of her father's sight – she was fairly certain it had occurred to him more than once. She'd heard that other parents sometimes told their children that they couldn't stand to look at them, but in her case, it was literally true. Her father looked at her as seldom as possible. Even now, his attention was focused upon Paige, and Katherine felt a slight pang as she saw him hand her a box. But only a slight one; it wasn't as if the sight was unfamiliar. Nor was the sentiment behind it.

"A present for my princess," he replied to Paige's excited squeal, and Katherine forced a smile for her sister's benefit.

"They're beautiful!" Paige exclaimed, holding up a pair of silver slippers for her to see. "See, Katherine? Aren't they pretty?"

"Only the best for the future Mayor of Munchkinland, darling," their father replied, drowning out Katherine's attempts at a reply. "Now, we'd better get you up to the school. Katherine," he added without a look in her direction as he began wheeling Paige's chair down the walkway, "you have the luggage?"

"I've got it," she replied, more to herself than her family, and hoisted her sister's bags in addition to her own smaller one. Flipping her braid back over her shoulder, she began following them down the path, but her forward progress was soon halted by the arrival of another carriage, which stopped directly in front of the path. Unsure as to whether she should wait or go around over the grass, Katherine simply stared as the driver helped an excited-looking blonde girl down from her seat.

"Oh, be careful with that!" the girl called out to another servant who was removing luggage from the roof of the carriage. "It's so hard to find good help these days, don't you think?" the girl complained over her shoulder, apparently aware of her presence despite the fact she hadn't really turned around. "I swear, if they break anything, I'll…" The other girl's voice caught as she finally turned to look at Katherine, and the hand she'd been extending froze mid-motion.

Hardly a surprise. If shocked reactions were something you could save in a box, Katherine would have had a room full by now. Calmly, she extended one green hand toward the other girl, who simply stopped staring at her face in exchange for staring at her hand instead. They might have stood there indefinitely, for Katherine refused to drop her hand and the blonde girl seemed incapable of coherent speech, had not her father called out to hurry her along.

"I'm coming, father!" Katherine called out, then shot a wry smile in the befuddled blonde's direction. "It's been a pleasure," she said dryly, then skirted the carriage and hurried up the walk.

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"Should've known I'd find you scribbling," she _heard_ a voice say inside her head, and Elizabeth looked up from her paper to see Nic grinning down at her. She smiled back, despite the fact she was disappointed by the interruption, just as she was finally on a roll. Nicolai Starsmore was, after all, one of her best friends, and she hadn't seen him in what seemed like forever.

Well, okay. It was more like a couple weeks, but sometimes that seemed like forever. Unlike most of the X-Men, her parents lived in Salem Center, and she went to school there rather than at the Institute. It wasn't fair, in her opinion, but even her dad had been adamant that she continue going to public school, at least until she manifested some mutant ability.

Normally, she didn't much care; she liked living at home better than she would've at the Institute, and she had friends in Salem Center. But she did miss Nic. Inching over slightly, she patted the ground next to her before replying.

Instead of coming to sit down, though, he crouched down in front of her, trying to peer at her notebook.

"It's just homework," she began, wrinkling her nose as she flipped the cover shut.

Nic let out a snort. "Homework? It's spring break, Liz. No one gets homework during spring break. Even Ms. Munroe doesn't give out homework during –"

"Yeah well, I don't go to school here, do I?" she replied tartly, hugging her notebook to her chest as he reached out to snatch it. "It's a trade off – you have to get up at 5am to get in the shower before they run out of hot water, and I have to do homework during vacation."

"Don't s'pose you want to help me wash Dad's car?" Nic asked hopefully.

Elizabeth considered it for a few moments, then shook her head. It sounded like fun – they always ended up having water fights, and once his dad had even let her back the car out of the garage, but…"I'm on a roll," she admitted. "Can I join you after I finish this next bit?"

Nic nodded and stood up. "'bout half an hour?" he suggested. "I'm hungry anyway; I'll go grab something to eat and meet you out by the garage, okay?"

"Works for me," she agreed, then called after him as he turned and headed off. "Hey, grab me a pop, please? I'm thirsty. And don't shake it!" she added as an afterthought once he'd nodded an acknowledgement. He blew her the mental equivalent of a raspberry in response, and she laughed as she reopened her notebook. Maybe she could at least finish this scene…

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Katherine nearly shrank back as she entered the foyer and the students, who had apparently gathered to ogle the new arrivals, turned their collective attention from Paige to her. And stared, for what felt like forever, before turning to each other to begin whispering.

Wondering just why she'd assumed things would be any different here than they'd been in Munchkinland, Katherine feigned ignorance of the hushed speculation. Stiffening her resolve, she focused her attention on her father and the white-clad woman with whom he was speaking and walked toward them.

"Well, of course we'll make all due allowances for your daughter's condition," the woman was reassuring her father as Katherine approached. The woman's hand was resting on Paige's shoulder, something which seemed to sit well with both her sister and father, and she squeezed it reassuringly for emphasis. "I'm certain that once she settles in, she'll be very –" the woman's voice broke off as her eyes fell on Katherine, but she covered her surprise almost immediately. "And you are…" she asked leadingly.

"My sister," Paige answered petulantly, unhappy that the attention had shifted from her, even momentarily.

Katherine set down the luggage and nodded, mindful of the warning look her father directed toward her.

"Yes," the woman replied in acknowledgement, stretching out one perfectly manicured hand without hesitation. "I'm Ms. Frost, Headmistress of Chussets Academy. Your father didn't mention you in our correspondence, I'm afraid."

"I'm not surprised," Katherine answered dryly as she shook the woman's hand. Her father cleared his throat and glared, but with the ease of much practice she pretended not to notice that as well.

"Yes, well, I want Paige to be comfortable, and she asked if Katherine could attend as well. Rather at the last minute," he added, directing a fond glance toward his younger daughter and reaching down to squeeze her hand. "I trust there's no problem?"

"None at all," Ms. Frost assured him. "I should like to get the girls settled, though…" she said, a note of suggestion in her voice.

"Of course," their father replied, bending down to give Paige a hug. "Now, if you need anything, let Ms. Frost know…"

"I'll be fine, Father," she assured him, and Katherine watched as he straightened up and turned his attention to her. "Behave yourself and take care of your sister," he told her coolly, his eyes skimming the edges of her face.

"Of course," she replied. For once, even Paige seemed to be uncomfortable with the difference between their father's farewells and opened her mouth to protest. Katherine shook her head as their father turned to leave. It wasn't as if it would change anything, anyway.

"Well now, Paige," the headmistress began, "I've made arrangements for you to have the rooms next to mine, since your father was so concerned about your care. Katherine, I don't have anything prepared for you, but…"

"But Ms. Frost, I thought I'd be sharing with Paige – my father was quite insistent," Katherine replied with confusion as the woman began wheeling Paige's chair down the hallway, obviously expecting her to follow.

"Nonsense," the headmistresses said dismissively. "Your concern for your sister is admirable, but I'm quite capable of - "

Katherine's anger flared, and with it came a burst of energy, one she struggled to contain as soon as she realized she'd let it loose. Sheer, undirected power – or at least, directed by her subconscious rather than her conscious will. In this case, it pushed the headmistress and several students away from her sister, whose chair spun and began wheeling itself back toward her. The flowers on the hall table toppled, and one of the female students screamed.

Had her face been capable of reddening, Katherine would have blushed. It had happened…again. She was lucky that her father had already left; she'd promised him, no more outbursts, all the while knowing she couldn't realistically keep the vow. It wasn't as if she wanted to be any more of a freak than she already was, but…she couldn't control it. And while it didn't happen _often_, this was hardly the first time. She took a few steps backwards, preparing herself for the Headmistress' declaration that she should leave immediately. Which would be less punishment, she knew, than she would have faced from her father. Still would, most likely, when she had to explain why she'd been sent home. "I'm sorry," she asserted. "I didn't do it intentionally."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Ms. Frost replied, and Katherine was amazed to see that the woman was actually laughing. "Such power – I don't know if you realize, but I'm something of a sorceress myself." Taking the barely perceptible shake of Katherine's head for admittance of ignorance, she continued. "Nothing like yours, for sheer undirected power, though I've been known to dabble with the weather. My dear, never apologize for your abilities. Don't you realize what an incredible gift you have? I really must bring you to the Wizard's attention as soon as possible. With some diligence on your part, who knows how far you could go?"

For once in her life, Katherine had no idea what to say. The Wizard. All her life, she'd dreamed of meeting the Wizard, the wonderful being who ruled Oz and cared for its people. She'd never thought, never even dreamed that it would actually happen – and certainly not like this. The power she'd had for as long as she could remember, that she'd tried to hide…would actually make the Wizard want to meet _her_? It was almost impossible to believe, and a rare smile lit her face as she resisted the urge to pinch herself.

A reality check came from an unexpected quarter, however, as the blonde girl she'd been speaking with outside threw open the doors and entered, with servants carrying a substantial number of bags and boxes in her wake.

"Ms. Frost! You have _no idea_ who I just met outside – oh, you do," the girl added as she realized that Katherine was already speaking with the Headmistress.

"Oh good, you're already acquainted then," Ms. Frost said coolly.

"In a manner of speaking," the girl mumbled, and Katherine saw her glance over to a group of students as if for sympathy. Apparently she found it, because the girl's irritable expression faded, replaced by a mischievous grin that Katherine had a feeling meant trouble.

"Just as well, Illyana, since Katherine will be your new roommate," Ms Frost informed her.

Illyana's mouth fell open for an instant, but a coy smile replaced it immediately. "But, Ms. Frost, you promised me my own room this term," she said. "My father paid extra, and I've brought all these things..."

"And I really should be with Paige," Katherine inserted quickly. For what she suspected would probably be the only time, ever, she and this Illyana were in complete accord. She wanted to share Illyana's room even less than the other girl wanted her there. There was a definite limit to sheer…blondness she could tolerate. And she suspected she was nearing it already.

"I'll make sure he's reimbursed," the headmistress replied to Illyana in a tone that made it clear she'd accept no argument, then turned toward Katherine. "And while your concern for your sister's well-being is admirable, I assure you'll be far too busy with your extra lessons to take sole responsibility for her."

"She's Ms. Frost's new sorcery student," Katherine heard one of the girls whisper to Illyana, whose face assumed an outraged expression.

"Her? But…I applied for that!" the girl announced in a furious whisper. "I did a paper! I even _typed_ it – all about why it was absolutely necessary that wands have points!"

Oooh yes, Katherine mused as Ms. Frost cut short her roommate's tirade and directed them off to their room. She'd most definitely hit her limit. It should be a very interesting term.

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Elizabeth smiled as she wrote the last words with a flourish, then closed the notebook. There. It wasn't done, not by a long-shot – but it was a good start, and her hand was starting to cramp. She rubbed at it with the other, then caught sight of her watch and grimaced. Ten minutes past the time she'd told Nic she'd meet him in the garage, which meant she didn't have time to stash her notebook in the room in which she was staying for the week. Jumping to her feet, she broke off at a run. Maybe if she hid the notebook in the garage before they started she could manage to avoid him reading it.


	2. Chapter 2: What Is This Feeling?

Disclaimer: No money is being made by combining the X-Men with the Broadway musical Wicked. I'd know, because if it was, I'd be making it, and I'm not. I don't own either, sadly.

Thanks, as always, to Beaubier for awesome Beta-ness, and to Oldprydefan for poking me repeatedly to get the next chapter finished! Reviews and feedback are always welcome (See the little review button? You Really want to press that. No, really. Finish the chapter, and then press it, it's fun!)

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**Making Good**

**Chapter 2: What Is This Feeling?**

By the time they'd finished watching Mr. Starsmore's car, Elizabeth's hair and clothing had been dripping wet, and the weather, always unpredictable in spring, had taken a turn for the colder. Shivering and wishing that she'd inherited her father's mutation, Elizabeth dashed off to change, only belatedly realizing that she'd left her notebook where she'd hidden it behind a toolbox in the garage. Trusting it to its hiding place, she'd taken the time to change her clothes before heading back downstairs. Where she found that it wasn't quite as well hidden as she'd hoped.

"That's mine!" she protested as she entered the garage, only to find Nic already there, thumbing through her notebook. "Give it back!"

"You made your _mom_ the wicked witch?" he asked incredulously, his tone belied by the grin on his face. "She's gonna be _maaaad_."

"No, she won't!" Elizabeth protested, jumping to try to snatch the notebook out of her taller friend's hand as he dangled it just out of reach. "She might not be happy I made her green, but she won't care about being Elphie, she _likes_ Elphie!"

"Why would she care about you making her green?" Nic asked, finally relenting and handing her the notebook. "I mean, one of her best friends is fuzzy and blue…well, a couple of them, actually," he corrected after a moment's thought.

"Oh, she doesn't like green. I think it's because one of my dad's ex-girlfriends had green hair," Elizabeth explained disinterestedly as she thumbed through her journal, making sure Nic hadn't torn out any pages. Luckily, she'd apparently intercepted him before he'd gotten that far. She let out a sigh of relief, then looked up at him with an apprehensive expression.

"So, umm, you read it, right? What'd you think? I mean," she interjected before he could do anything more than open his mouth, "I know it needs changes and stuff, but I'll do that once it's all done…"

"It's okay," Nic replied with a shrug.

Elizabeth smiled. Knowing Nic, that was high praise – he wouldn't think twice about telling her that he hated it. Even if he didn't. If he was saying it was okay, then it really was.

"So, what happens next?" he asked, much to her surprise. "I mean, your mom's Elphie, my mom's Glinda. Your dad's Fiyero?" he guessed.

Elizabeth nodded. That was the plan, anyway. Even if it didn't work for other reasons, she couldn't picture any of the adults except her dad saying they liked being brainless. She bit at her lip as Nic seemed to think about something for a long while before letting out a snort of laughter.

"You're gonna make my dad the munchkin guy, aren't you?"

"Well…" Elizabeth hedged, then burst out in giggles and nodded.

"Lemme know when you're done. I've gotta read that," Nic replied with a mischievous grin on his face. "And maybe make copies. Lots and lots of them." He paused for a moment and eyed her curiously. "Do you want pictures? To go with the story, I mean?"

Her eyes sparkled excitedly and she nodded. Nic's mom always said the artistic talent in the family had skipped her entirely, but somehow Nic had inherited it anyway. His drawings weren't as good as Uncle Peter's, of course, but they were a lot better than anything she could manage. "Would you? That'd be really cool!"

Nic nodded. "I'll go draw. You go write." He grinned again, over his shoulder, as he turned to leave. "I've really _gotta_ draw my dad as a munchkin, but I need to see the scene first."

"I'll go write it now," she promised, and headed out of the garage.

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It was official, Illyana decided sulkily as she lay on her bed, feet propped against the headboard, surreptitiously watching Katherine read her rather large, boring-looking book. Her new roommate was the most annoying person in Oz.

And she was bored. But for once, that paled by comparison to the annoyance presented by the green-skinned girl who was sharing what should have been _her _room. She wondered, not for the first time, whether or not appealing to Ms. Frost could at least result in the assignment of a different roommate – Rachel, or Tabby, even Amara would be better than sharing a room with someone who looked like a lizard and had stolen her chances at becoming Ms. Frost's sorcery student.

Not, she had to admit, that she'd managed to talk the headmistress into that the previous term. But she'd written a _paper_. All on her own, without it even being assigned. And then the lizard across the room had stolen the spot from her, just by throwing things around the foyer. There was just no justice in the world.

At least she had to admit that what's her name seemed no happier to be sharing a room with her than vice versa. She couldn't understand that – people _always_ wanted to be her roommate – but it was some consolation to know that the other girl was as miserable with the situation as she was.

"Illyana!" someone called from outside the door, and she sat up and smoothed her skirt so it hung in neat folds over her knees.

"Come on in, Dani!" she called back. Ignoring the long suffering sigh of her roommate, she watched the door open and the dark haired girl enter and pass Katherine without acknowledging her presence. Illyana nodded her approval, then caught the excited look on her friend's face as she plopped down next to her on the bed.

"Guess what I just heard!" Dani announced.

She was practically bouncing with excitement; an unusual but not unheard of state for Dani, but one which undoubtedly heralded news of the most exciting variety. "Oooh, let me guess!" Illyana demanded, then paused to think for a moment before beaming over at her friend, palms hitting the bed as she bounced lightly. "They're having a shoe sale at the Emerald Boutique?"

"Better!" Dani countered with another bounce, resulting in a somewhat ominous creak from the frame.

"You're going to break the bed," Katherine noted aloud without turning to look at either of them.

Illyana sniffed in her direction. As if she cared. Except, a broken bed might result in Dani not telling her news. Casually, she stopped bouncing, just as if she'd planned to all along, then turned back to her friend. "Oh, just tell me, then!"

"Welllll," the other girl began, "you know Bobby? The Winkie Prince whose reputation is so scandalicious?"

Illyana grinned and nodded, waving her hand in encouragement. Dani took _forever_ to get to the point sometimes, but she had to admit, Bobby was a good place to pause. She'd seen pictures, and heard rumors. Not only was he adorable, but he'd actually been kicked out of every school in Winkieland.

"He's coming _here_!" the dark haired girl announced with a bounce.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"And we care, why?" Katherine inserted.

Dani sniffed. "If I were acknowledging the person who asked that, I'd point out that he's just the absolutely most eligibilish male in Oz, and has been voted "Cutest Smile EVER" by Emerald City Weekly's reader poll. But I'm not, so I won't." She grinned at Illyana, who nodded her agreement. No reason to tell Katherine any of that, if she didn't know. Not when they were pretending she wasn't there.

"This is _perfect_!" she replied aloud instead. "It's been sooooooo boring this term, and it's only the third day! How did he get kicked out of his new school this fast?" she wondered aloud.

Dani shrugged. "No clue, but he's supposed to be here later today. Want to go hang outside, see if we can see him coming?"

"Of course not," Illyana disputed with a serious expression, then bounced to her feet as it morphed into an impish smile. "We'll go take a walk. That way, we'll just happen to be outside when he arrives!"

"Subtle," Katherine observed dryly from her desk.

Illyana ignored her in favor of grabbing hold of Dani's hand and tugging at it. "Come _on_!" she urged. Not only was this an excellent opportunity to get out of the positively poisonous atmosphere in her room, but they might actually get to meet him _first_ if they hurried. And first impressions, she knew, were always the most important.

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Katherine looked up from her tome entitled Magikal Practices as Illyana and Dani left the room, then leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh of relief. Of all the roommates she could have possibly been assigned…

Well, no. She supposed any of them would have reacted the exact same way; Dani's reaction proved that much, even setting aside the probability that she (and the rest of the school, for that matter) were following Illyana's lead. The fact that somehow she'd managed to be assigned the most vapid girl in all of Oz as a roommate was just the icing on the cake, not the substance. She really didn't belong here, and she knew it. The sad thing was, she didn't really seem to belong anywhere else, either.

Certainly not at home. While technically, she supposed Paige's condition wasn't her fault, her father certainly felt that it was. The servants followed his lead; while they doted on Paige as the daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland, Katherine seemed to fall into some sort of gray area. Uncertain whether they should defer to her as their employer's daughter or shun her as her father did, they settled for an uneasy middle ground in which they ignored her existence unless necessity brought her to their attention. The only real regret she had with that situation was that her sister frequently did the same thing.

She'd hoped things would be different, here, among the allegedly enlightened students of Chussets Academy. She should have known better. Closing her eyes, she felt a trace of a smile tug at her lips. Maybe, if Ms. Frost was right, that would change. Maybe her real place _was_ with the Wizard, using her abilities to protect the land and its people. She could do it, and she would – and finally, everyone would stop judging her on the basis of her admittedly oddly colored skin.

It was even possible the Wizard might be able to do something about that…Katherine stared out the window, unseeing. She'd never _ask_, of course, and by then it probably wouldn't even matter, but…

She sighed and shook her head, then stood up and began to gather up her books. If she didn't get her mind out of the Emerald City and get to her History class, she wouldn't have to worry about any of it. Bracing herself for the latest round of whispered insults, she headed out the door.

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Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, Bobby gazed up at the unwelcoming stone building that would be his new address. It had an imposing look to it that seemed to be shared by most of the institutes of higher learning that he'd been privileged to attend. Or maybe it was just that they were all starting to blur together.

He wondered, as he scratched at the bridge of his nose, just how long it would take him to get kicked out of this one.

"You want your bags inside?" Sam asked, and Bobby replaced his serious expression with a grin as he turned back to his sometime friend, full-time conscience. The friend part would probably be more pronounced, he admitted to himself, had it not been for the knowledge that his father was paying Sam to keep him in line. Not that the poor guy had much luck at it. Still, he liked Sam, so he just shrugged nonchalantly, grin permanently intact.

"Probably should take in a couple, huh? At least make it look like I'm planning to stay."

"Yer father's going to be pretty put out if you get kicked out of another school," Sam observed seriously. "Ah mean, two days at the last one? Gotta be a new record."

Bobby shook his head and smirked. "Nah. Got kicked out of one in less than three hours." He didn't bother to mention that it had actually been an accident that time. He _hadn't_ intentionally spilled the suntan oil at the bottom of the stairs. He'd just been running to the door with it, in the hopes of being the first to… "Whoa," he said, cutting off his own thought process as he caught sight of a pair of girls heading toward them, talking animatedly and apparently trying to ignore the dark haired guy who was tagging along in their wake. "Man, check it out," he said as his eyes fell on the shorter of the girls, an absolutely adorable blonde.

"Ah'm checking," Sam replied breathlessly.

Curious, Bobby glanced over to see that Sam's eyes were actually fastened onto the blonde's taller friend. Ah well. No accounting for taste.

Leaving his friend to his gawking, he stepped forward as the three approached and grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "So, are you the welcoming committee?" he asked hopefully. "Because if you are, I have a question for you…"

"What kind of question?" the blonde asked, tossing her hair slightly over her shoulder. "We _might_ be able to help…"

"Well, I was wondering," he began, then leaned in conspiratorially, figuring he might as well start things off on the right note. "Where do we find the hottest spot in town? Y'see, I have some celebrating to do. Third day of the semester, second school. Seems a reason to have a party, don't you think?"

"Definitely," the blonde agreed without hesitation and immediately jumped up about ten notches on his list from the already high rung she was holding.

"Except that we _were_ going to go study," the dark haired young man inserted, not quite tugging at the blonde's arm. Crush in progress, Bobby decided with a quickly suppressed smirk. The blonde seemed unimpressed with the attention.

"Study?" Bobby asked with feigned incredulity as if he believed studying was the last thing that should be on the mind of any students. Which, in a way, pretty much summed up his attitude toward education. Throwing his arm around the shoulders of the dark haired boy, he led him away from the girls. "Come on, waaay too serious. Do y'know what the _real_ problem with schools is?" he asked, ignoring Sam's long-suffering sigh. "They always try to teach the wrong lessons. I mean - studying," he turned to the crowd of students that was slowly gathering around him and rolled his eyes, "do we _really_ need that kind of stress in our lives?"

"We don't!" one of the girls agreed perkily.

Bobby nodded agreement. "We don't," he told the guy with full mock-seriousness. "Now…" he grasped for a name and realized he didn't have one, so he waved his hand, urging him to supply it.

"Jono," the taller boy said reluctantly. "And that's Dani," he continued, indicating the darker haired of the girls he'd been talking with.

"And Illyana!" supplied the blonde girl.

Smiling acknowledgement, he winked at the blonde and continued. "Jono, right. Now Jono, the studying isn't going anywhere, right? Whereas," he grinned, "I'm probably only going to be here a few days, if the last school was any indication. So, we need to celebrate now, before I'm not here to celebrate with. Sooo," he continued as he turned to the others, "what's the most swankified place in town?"

"That would be the Oz Dust Ballroom!" Illyana announced.

"Perfect!" he pronounced as he dropped his arm from Jono's shoulders. "Now, who's in? Party, Oz Dust, 8:00?"

Judging from the rather enthusiastic response of the other students, Bobby assumed that nearly everyone was. Which was just about perfect, really. If there was one thing he was good at, it was making sure everyone had a good time.

Okay, that probably was the _only_ thing he was good at. But he was okay with that. Mostly. Usually. Besides, it was true enough. He could spend all his time worrying about what was going to happen next, or…just let it happen, and have a good time in the interim. Considering even his father had finally admitted that he was never going to amount to anything, there wasn't much point in trying.

Besides, if he didn't try, he wouldn't screw up. Even better reason to just make light of it all.

"Ya sure this is a good idea?" Sam asked unenthusiastically as he sidled up to him.

"Best I've ever had," Bobby replied as his attention shifted to the conversation Illyana was having with Jono.

"Well, if we're going, would you maybe like to go with me?" the dark haired boy was asking, all the while casting evil looks in Bobby's direction. "I mean, if you don't have other plans…"

"Oh Gino –"

"Jono," he pointed out.

"Jono, right!" the blonde replied, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. "That's really sweet of you! But you know what would be even sweeter?" She gestured toward a blonde girl in a wheelchair who'd just entered the courtyard. "Y'know, I feel really bad going off for a party and just leaving Paige here. It seems so unfair," she pouted.

Bobby fought an urge to laugh as he leaned back against a tree and watched. She was good – and undoubtedly knew it, though that didn't affect his interest in the least.

"Well yeah, I guess," the dark haired boy replied slowly, obviously trying to figure out how the fairness or unfairness of the scenario had anything to do with his proposal.

"It's a real shame someone doesn't invite her," Illyana mused, glancing over at the girl and shaking her head. "I don't know if I'll even go if she doesn't – I'd feel way too guilty."

"Ummm, well, maybe I could invite her?" Jono offered, obviously hoping that if he did, Illyana would go as well.

"Oh, would you? I'm sure she'd just _love_ to go with you," Illyana gushed, reaching up to give the guy's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll just see you later then, okay?"

Jono wandered off toward the other girl with a perplexed expression on his face, and Bobby straightened up and grinned as Illyana approached.

"Nice job," he observed sincerely.

"I have no idea _what_ you're talking about," she replied, an expression of total innocence on her face, one contradicted by the mischievous glint in her eyes. "But now I don't have a date for the party," she observed with a pout.

"Yes, you do," he countered, knowing full well that she expected it but happy to not disappoint. "Pick you up around 8:00? After all," he said with a playful pout of his own, "it's my party. You couldn't be mean and make me go by myself, would you?"

"I could, but I won't," she replied with an impish grin. "See you at 8:00, then," she added with a flip of her hair as she turned and walked away.

Bobby watched her go, grin slowly spreading. Maybe Chussets Academy wouldn't be so bad after all.

--------------------

Eyes focused on her destination, Katherine pointedly ignored the stares and stage-whispered insults of her fellow students as she crossed the classroom and took her seat, relenting in her feigned indifference only long enough to return the smile Dr. McCoy directed at her. The history professor was a rarity at Chussets; the only animal-like faculty member she'd met thus far, he'd gone out of his way the previous day to make her feel welcome. But then, she supposed as rarities went, green skin paled beside blue fur and ape-like features, so perhaps he hadn't even noticed she was anything out of the ordinary. In any case, she wasn't about to argue it. Mr. McCoy was, thus far, her favorite professor.

"Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, but I believe that when we left off yesterday, we were discussing the final days of the reign of the late King Pastoria, may his rest be tranquil," Dr. McCoy began after the whispering settled down. "Sadly, the king's death left his infant daughter Ozma sole heir, and the war of succession followed, in which uncountable spurious claims to the throne were made by increasingly dubious claimants. Can anyone relate how the war of succession was ultimately resolved?"

Katherine's hand shot up in the air, and Dr. McCoy nodded acknowledgement.

"The Wizard arrived, and became the first ruler of Oz to be chosen by popular acclaim," she replied succinctly.

Dr. McCoy nodded and turned toward the easel on which he'd been outlining a rough map of Ozian history. "Correct, Katherine. The infant Ozma disappeared; none to this day know her ultimate fate. And the Wizard, supported by the good will of the populace, assumed the throne of Oz as its ruler. Now as one might imagine, Oz was in something of a state of upheaval." Pausing, he flipped the page over the top of the easel to move on, but froze as he saw the saw the words written upon the next sheet. In large black letters, someone had scrawled the message, "Animals Should Be Seen and not Heard."

A soft twitter from the back of the classroom was quickly silenced as the simian Professor looked up from the easel. "I don't suppose that anyone would care to be forthcoming about the origins of this missive?" he asked casually. When it became apparent that a dead silence was to be the only response, he nodded. "In that case, I believe we'll begin here tomorrow, once I've had opportunity to repair my visual aids. Class dismissed."

Katherine stared at the crudely printed words, dumbstruck and angry, and hung back as the others scurried to collect their books and leave the room. Thus, she was the sole witness when Dr. McCoy's shoulders slumped and he sank heavily into his seat.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly as she got to her feet and headed toward the front of the classroom.

"What? Well, as alright as one might expect I suppose," he replied with a trace of the smile that had appeared on his face only minutes before. "Worry not, Katherine; I've seen and read far worse things throughout the course of my lifetime. And expect to see far worse still, before I meet my end."

Katherine frowned as she approached his desk. "What do you mean? This is just…some sort of prank, isn't it?" she asked, gesturing toward the easel. "Something along the lines of Illyana's friends leaving barely recognizable sketches of lizards on my desk?"

Dr. McCoy took a deep breath, and met her brown eyes with his own bespeckled blue ones. "I fear not," he admitted. "I've heard rumors of a movement throughout Oz to disenfranchise those of its populace who bear animalistic features. And while until now I've taken them with a grain of salt…well, it's difficult to ignore that of all the Animals," he used the slightly accented form of the word, one colloquially used to distinguish those who bore a resemblance to their animal counterparts from the animals themselves, "who once taught at Chussets, only I remain. Strange things are occurring in Oz, my dear. Throughout all its lands, not only here at Chussets." He shook his head and removed his spectacles, buffing them off on his fur before returning them to his face.

Katherine stared at him, more than a little puzzled. "What sorts of things?" she asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "All manner of things. There are rumors of Animals suddenly losing the capacity to articulate their thoughts, if indeed their minds are still capable of such complexities. Of them becoming more bestial, their outward shapes gradually – or on occasion, abruptly – altering further so that they are no longer distinguishable from the creatures they resemble. Of them simply disappearing altogether. It's all very troubling," he confided, "but as yet, I've had no evidence to support the allegations."

Katherine's frown deepened. "Has anyone spoken to the Wizard about this?" she demanded. "I mean, that's why we _have_ a Wizard. Surely there's something he could do…"

Whatever reply Dr. McCoy might have made was cut off by the arrival of Madame Frost, whose eyes paused at the words on the easel as she walked past. She shook her head.

"I just heard, Henry. Do you have any idea as to who might be the culprit?"

"None, I'm afraid. As I was just explaining to Katherine, I fear that the prejudice against those of my kind that has been rumbling throughout Oz is rearing its ugly head at Chussets."

Instead of replying immediately, Ms. Frost turned to Katherine as if only just noting her presence. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Katherine?" she asked coolly. "Perhaps you're not as dedicated as I'd thought, if you choose to stand around rather than spending this extra time at your studies."

"But, Ms. Frost – something has to be done about this!" Katherine insisted, then paused as she noticed the irritated expression on the headmistress' face.

"I assure you, we shall take all necessary steps to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. But that's hardly your concern, is it?"

Outwardly bristling by the time the white-clad woman finished speaking, Katherine forced herself to take a deep breath and nod acknowledgement if not agreement. In fact, she couldn't have disagreed less, but the threat inherent in Ms. Frost's words was obvious. Apparently, this was considered a matter for the faculty, and students' input was less than welcome.

While it would have never stopped her in the past, Katherine recognized that Ms. Frost held the upper ground. And, admittedly, there was nothing more she could do here.

"I understand," she replied finally, then turned to smile over at Mr. McCoy. "I hope it turns out to be rumors."

Dr. McCoy nodded without a great deal of conviction, and Katherine sighed, ignoring Ms. Frost's impatient expression as she made her way to the door. Her mind was still reeling over the doctor's revelations, and she didn't know what to make of it. all. Or if she should do anything at all. With one last, supportive smile to the historian, she made her way out of the classroom. Given the muffled enthusiasms she could hear through the windows, it appeared that the Winkie prince had finally arrived and was making something of a stir. Maybe she'd go see how Paige was getting on. No doubt her sister would want to head downstairs and meet the new arrival as well, and there was no point giving her reason to complain to their father that she'd missed out on something just because Katherine wasn't there.

By the time Katherine emerged from the building she was out of breath, and she found Paige rolling her chair up the ramp to enter. It figured. She'd checked all of her sister's usual haunts (if anything could be said to be "usual" after only three days) to no avail. It stood to reason the younger girl would already be outside in the midst of it all.

"Oh, there you are!" Paige noted unnecessarily as she waved her sister to the back of her chair. "I have the greatest news!"

"Yes, I know," Katherine replied with a definite lack of enthusiasm. Her conversation with Dr. McCoy was still troubling her, and listening to her sister enthuse over the new arrival wasn't foremost in her mind. "New Winkie Prince student. Illyana was all over it," she added in response to Paige's questioning look, throwing in a roll of her eyes.

Much to her surprise, her sister shook her head. "Oh no, not that," she said, then smiled. "Well, sort of that. Bobby's having a party, and…well, I'm going!"

"Really?" Katherine asked, astonished. Her sister was generally well liked – well, far better liked than she was herself, at any rate, though that really didn't mean much. But generally speaking, she was self-conscious about her disability and didn't tend to go into many social gatherings. It was one of the few things the sisters actually shared in common.

"Really," her sister replied, smile broadening for a moment until it faded and her expression became more stern. "And you know, you're wrong. Illyana's not bad at all. If it weren't for her, Jono would've never gotten up the courage to ask me."

"Hold it – what are you talking about, Paige?" Katherine asked, more than a little confused. She'd met Jono in class, and seen him tagging along behind Illyana like a puppy, but she couldn't imagine what could have happened that would have inspired the Munchkinlander to invite her sister anywhere, unless he was trying to get Illyana jealous.

Her sister let out a dismissive sigh. "Well, he says he's wanted to, but he was afraid I'd say no. Illyana talked him into it," she explained.

"Paige, I don't know if this is a good –" Katherine began, but her sister cut her off.

"Oh stop. Can't you just be happy for me for once?" Paige complained. "He invited me. Me. This is the first time I've ever been asked out, and it's all because of Illyana. I owe her, and I have no idea how I'm going to repay her for this – I wish there was something I could do, but I can't think of a thing. Can't you understand, Katherine? This is exactly what I've always wanted."

"I understand," she replied quietly. Something in the back of her mind suggested there was more afoot than her sister thought, but she kept it to herself. She could be wrong. And if anyone deserved a good time at the party, it was her sister. Still…

"I need to go get ready," Paige said, rolling past her. "Are you coming?" she asked as an afterthought. "To the party, I mean? It's at the Oz Dust."

"I really don't think so," Katherine replied with a shrug. An evening of people staring at her, making jokes about lizards and cabbages and actively trying to keep their distance didn't sound like her idea of a good time. Actually, it sounded pretty much like every day, which rather took out both the "social" and "interaction" portions.

Paige simply nodded, a contented smile returning to her face as she rolled off down the hallway toward her room. Which left Katherine to wonder at Illyana's alleged generosity, and how she could help Paige repay it.

She didn't have to wonder long. She was barely halfway to her room (to which she'd decided to return, rather than listen to everyone ramble excitedly about the Winkie prince and his party and what they were going to wear) when Glinda ran up to her in the hallway. Well, she supposed it was as good a time as ever…

"Illyana," she began. "Paige and I were just talking about you, and –"

"And I was just talking about you!" the blonde countered with barely concealed amusement, producing a pointed black hat she'd been holding behind her back. Despite the fact Katherine was the first to admit she knew next to nothing about fashion, it might well have been the ugliest hat she'd ever seen in her life. "I thought you might like this hat to wear to the party tonight," the blonde said with a giggle that grated on Katherine's nerves despite (or perhaps because of) the fact she'd been hearing it for days. "It'd look really good on you," she added with mock-conviction, depositing the hat in question in Katherine's hands before rushing off.

Despite herself, Katherine found herself staring after her roommate for a few moments as she held the black hat in her hands. And then began laughing as she set it on top of her head. If people were going to stare anyway, at least it would draw some of the attention away from her face.

In the meantime, she thought she might have found a way to repay her sister's debt. Turning from the dormitories, Katherine headed off in search of Ms. Frost.

--------------------

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed at her eyes. Despite having told Nic she'd finish this part, her hand was beginning to ache and her eyes were watering from staring at the page. A quick glance at the clock confirmed what she'd suspected; she'd missed dinner completely and it was getting late. Letting out a sigh, she reached over to pull a Twinkie out of her nightstand (stashing emergency food there was a lesson she'd learned early in life from Uncle Hank, though her mother never seemed to appreciate it) and peeled back the plastic wrapper. She was just too tired to finish tonight, despite the fact she knew _exactly_ what was going to happen next. It was okay, though. More than likely, even if she slept in she could get it finished before Nic even crawled out of bed.

Sometimes, she reflected as she made quick work of her snack and tossed the empty wrapper at the trash can, it was good to have a friend who seemed to think morning started at noon. Now, if she could just manage to convince Josh of the same thing, she might actually be able to sleep in once or twice during vacation. It was totally weird that her younger brother seemed to think mornings started earlier during the holidays than they did during the school year, but she supposed it was no weirder than most things Josh did. Hopefully, he'd be too busy with the other kids to think of waking her.


	3. Chapter 3: Dancing Through Life

Disclaimer: X-Men? Not mine. Wicked? Also not mine. Consequently, I'm making no money using them, however much I might wish that I were.

Thanks to Beaubier for awesome beta-ness, and to everyone who's reviewed so far!

* * *

Making Good

By Sue Penkivech

Chapter 3: Dancing Through Life

Strangely enough, it wasn't an alarm or her younger brother that woke Elizabeth the following morning. She opened her eyes to peer at the clock beside her bed, and groaned when she realized it was barely 6:00. Like her mom, she was a fairly early riser, but it was vacation. She shouldn't be awake at 6 am, ever.

Unfortunately, as was often the case when she wrote before going to bed, her story had taken over her dreams. Not that she was awake, she doubted she'd be getting back to sleep any time soon – it was already nagging at her, and she was itching to get outside and finish up the part she'd been working on. Slipping out of her bed, she pulled on some slippers and her bathrobe, and headed downstairs. Maybe her mom would be up – she vaguely remembered her parents popping in to check on her the night before when they'd gotten back to the Institute from wherever it was they'd gone with Uncle Hank and Aunt Betsy. But she'd been mostly asleep and had just mumbled something incoherent as her father tucked the covers in around her.

The smell of something cooking was issuing from the kitchen when she approached the door, and she smiled sleepily at her mother as she entered the room.

"Hi Mom," she mumbled as she collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs and pillowed her head on her arms.

"Busy day yesterday?" her mom asked sympathetically.

Elizabeth raised her head just enough to peer out over her arms and nodded, a wry smile forming in response to the tolerant one on her mother's face. "I did a lot of writing," she explained. "And Nic and I washed Uncle Jono's car."

"Mmmm," her mom said as she carried a plate of scrambled eggs and toast over to the table. "Sounds like you had fun," she said, leaning down and planting a soft kiss on Elizabeth's forehead. She set what had apparently been her intended breakfast before her daughter, then turned back toward the counters.

Elizabeth sat up and stretched, then nodded. "I did," she admitted, then yawned broadly. A sheepish smile formed as she looked up at her mother. "Maybe a little too much. I'm still tired."

"I'm surprised you're up," her mom admitted as she phased her arm through the door of the refrigerator, pulling it back out with an egg clasped in her hand. "I would've thought you'd still be sleeping. You managed to actually beat Josh to the kitchen."

Elizabeth shook her head as she examined the eggs. Nope, no veggies in them; unlike her mother, she still wasn't totally convinced that vegetables were something that could be realistically eaten at breakfast. Her father insisted they weren't something that could realistically be eaten at _any_ time, and of course Josh wrinkled his nose at anything that wasn't covered in grease or ketchup. But her parents made sure Josh ate something that resembled food occasionally, and she knew her dad didn't mean it. He just said it to tease her mom, even while he was busy piling green beans on his plate at dinner.

Her parents were weird, sometimes. But then, Uncle Jono and Aunt Illyana were even weirder, and a whole lot louder when they argued, so she supposed she'd lucked out.

"Couldn't sleep," she said finally as she got up to get a glass and to retrieve the milk from the fridge. Experimentally, she tried pushing her hand through the door as her mother had done, but wasn't surprised when she determined that she hadn't developed the ability to phase overnight. No one knew what form her powers would take, or even if she'd definitely have any. Part of her was relieved that she didn't yet; she wasn't sure she was ready for that much responsibility. The other part was jealous that Nic and Josh had practically been _born_ with theirs, though in Nic's case it was entirely possible he'd manifest others when he got older. For reasons no one had ever been able to explain, telepathy seemed to be a dominant gene, with early manifestation.

Which didn't explain Josh icing his crib, of course. But if there was any way for her brother to get a head start on being an X-Man, he'd manage to find it.

"Something wrong?" her mom asked gently.

Elizabeth shook her head as she opened the refrigerator and retrieved the milk. And really, nothing _was_…except her mom was one of the X-Men's team leaders. While her parents had never given the slightest indication that they were anything but proud of her, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel sometimes as if she'd let her mom down through a simple quirk of genetics. And disposition. Even if she did manifest some sort of ability, she wasn't at all sure she'd even _want_ to be an X-Man.

Her dad would understand that, she knew. She wasn't so sure about her mom, and it worried her sometimes.

"Nope, just got the writing bug," she replied, pushing aside her other concerns. It was all sort of academic right now anyway; no point worrying about it until or unless she needed to. And it was true enough – she had been bitten by the writing bug. Elizabeth glanced over at her mom and paused. Maybe Nic was right, and her mom would be mad about her using her in the story? She bit at her lip, debating on whether or not she should ask, and decided against. She'd just let her see it before she turned it in. Or…not, if she decided it was really bad and ended up throwing the whole thing out.

Her mom paused a moment as if she were going to ask what the story was about, or perhaps ask once more if anything was bothering her, but instead changed the subject to discuss plans for the day as she began frying up another egg. Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief as she took her seat at the table and began eating her breakfast. Weird or no, sometimes her parents were okay.

* * *

It was a simply splendiferous party, Illyana decided as she smiled around the room, eyes taking in the couples on the dance floor. And those who weren't, she thought, her smile taking a turn toward mischievous as she caught sight of Dani standing with Bobby's friend (Spam? Something like that) near the wall. Whatever his name was, he seemed smitten with her dark haired friend. The conversation seemed to be faltering, though. Maybe she should… 

"Want something to drink?" Bobby asked from behind her, and she turned to see him offering a glass of punch.

She accepted it from him with a playful smile, then jerked her head over toward their friends. "Do you think we should help them out?"

"Nah, they're fine," Bobby assured her. "If I go over there, he's going to feel obligated to lecture me on how this was all a bad idea. Why ruin his fun?"

"Mmmm, good point," she conceded, turning back toward the dance floor and shifting subtly so that her shoulder brushed against Bobby's arm. "I don't think it was a bad idea, though," she smiled up at him. One of the best she'd ever heard, actually – and more importantly, he'd invited _her_ to what was undoubtedly going to be the best remembered night in Chussets history.

Not, she reminded herself, that him doing so was any sort of surprise. She'd known from the moment she first saw him that he was absolutely perfect for her. But confirmation that he felt the same was always nice, and her smile grew broader as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Look – your admirer's here with his date," Bobby said with a mischievous grin as he leaned closer and gestured toward the door with his chin.

Illyana wrinkled her nose playfully and nudged his side with her shoulder as she followed his gaze and saw an awkward looking Jono wheeling Paige into the ballroom. Paige looked radiant, and Illyana chose to focus on that rather than the still confused expression on Jono's face. "She looks happy, doesn't she?" she noted, rather pleased with herself for her match-making. "I really should be awarded some sort of medal for this, don't you think?"

"Oh, definitely," Bobby assured her, then grinned. "Does Chussets give medals for simultaneously playing matchmaker and getting rid of unwanted admirers?"

Illyana made a show of sighing and shaking her head, almost but not quite suppressing the giggle that was her more honest reaction. "I _really_ don't know what you're talking about – I think they make a lovely couple, don't you?" And…well, yes, Jono _was_ looking at her and Bobby and frowning, but she was sure he'd get past that. Eventually. After all, Paige was very pretty, and apparently quite interested in him.

Besides, Jono could hardly begrudge her that when it was so obvious that she and Bobby were perfect for each other. Even if…well, perhaps it looked as if he might, a bit. The lovesick look he was directing in her direction made her feel…well, just a teensy bit awkward, and she dropped her eyes and turned back to Bobby, hoping he'd divert her with an offer to dance.

Further deliberations upon the couple in question were cut off, however, by a tap on her shoulder. Startled, Illyana turned to see Ms. Frost standing behind her, a stern expression on her face.

"Oh, Ms. Frost!" she exclaimed, brushing off Bobby's arm and turning around. She couldn't think of any reason the headmistress would single her out, unless the woman had finally read her treatise on wands and realized she'd make a far better student than Katherine. Hoping that was the case, she smiled up at her teacher and asked, "Whatever brings you here?"

Ms. Frost seemed unimpressed with her enthusiasm and sighed, then reached into her handbag and pulled out a wand. "Your roommate insisted I give this to you, and that I include you in my sorcery seminar. Why, I have no idea. I sincerely doubt that you have either the talent or the dedication required, but she threatened to withdraw, herself." She fixed Illyana with a pointed look as she handed her the wand. "I hope you appreciate the opportunity. It's not one I would have chosen to have given you, myself. My time is far too valuable to waste."

"I…yes, thank you," Illyana stammered, taken aback by the flood of information. _Katherine_ had insisted…whyever would she do that, after the way she'd dumped the world's ugliest hat on her, and fixed her sister up with a munchkin? The mind boggled, and she barely managed to say thank you once more as the school's headmistress turned and made her way back toward the doors.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, and Illyana looked up to see his brown eyes clouded with concern.

"I…got what I wanted," she replied slowly, holding up the wand as evidence.

"Well, that's good, right?" Bobby asked, obviously confused by her reaction.

Illyana nodded and forced a smile. "Of course it is," she replied, pushing aside the odd feeling of guilt she was experiencing. After all, he was right – she should be happy.

Unfortunately, she didn't feel quite as happy as she would have expected to. She opened her mouth to suggest they step outside for a few moments and get some air, but Bobby was already speaking.

"Who is _that_?" he asked, staring at the doorway, where a very familiar green skinned girl was standing. Still dressed in her school uniform, and wearing, of all things, the hat that Illyana had given her earlier. The dancers had stopped dancing and were clumping together, all eyes focused on the newcomer as they whispered amongst themselves.

"My roommate; please don't stare," she asked, despite the fact that whether or not Bobby did was unlikely to be noted, given everyone else's reactions.

"It's sort of hard not to," he admitted, and she could see him attempting to pull his eyes away only to have them refocus on the emerald skinned girl. "But I don't think she cares…"

Earlier that day, she would have agreed and said that Katherine seemed unfazed by it all as she descended the stairs and began dancing alone, in obvious defiance of the staring crowd. Now, looking a bit closer, she could see the tension in her roommate's shoulders, her impassive expression that was just a bit too forced to be genuine.

"Of course she does, she just pretends not to," she whispered back, then made a decision and handed Bobby her drink. "Excuse me, please? I'll be back in just a few minutes, I promise."

Without waiting for his response, she wound her way through the whispering, laughing students on the dance floor and tapped Katherine on the shoulder. "Can I cut in?" she asked with a faint smile.

"Can you what?" Katherine replied, stopping mid motion like some child's tik tok toy that needed to be rewound, only her head turning to look at her as if with the last tok of the mechanism.

Illyana simply grinned in response, and began imitating Katherine's motions as the band began playing louder, drowning out the hushed speculation of the crowd. "Well, dance already," she instructed her gaping roommate, motioning with her hand in an obvious request for Katherine to resume her previous steps. Or…well, to move, period, because the way the girl was staring at her was rather unnerving. Especially under the circumstances. She wasn't even sure exactly why she'd chosen to join her; perhaps because getting what she wanted hadn't been quite as exciting as she'd expected. Perhaps…well, perhaps because of the small voice in the back of her mind that said she might possibly have been a bit unfair.

After giving her one last, suspicious look, Katherine obliged. But she stopped a few minutes later and stood, gaping, as the other Chussets students ceased staring and began emulating their dance.

"How did you do that?" Katherine said, barely loud enough to be heard over the music as her eyes flicked around the room. "And why?"

Illyana shrugged and smiled impishly up at the taller girl. "It's all about being popular," she admitted, ignoring the latter question entirely. "They want to be like me, and now, they want to be like you, too." Grinning at Katherine's astonished expression, she grabbed hold of the other girl's arm and gave it a tug. "Come on, you _have_ to meet Bobby," she insisted.

"I have to do this, why?" Katherine countered, nonetheless following along with a dazed expression on her face.

"Well, because we're friends now!" Illyana pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And, well, he and I are dating, so you two might as well get to know each other sooner rather than later, right?"

"You just met him this morning," Katherine replied, her voice lowering as they drew closer to the Winkie prince, who was engaged in an animated conversation with Spam, or Sam, or whatever his friend's name was. "You're already dating? And when did we…"

"Well, more or less, I suppose," she conceded, breaking in on the next question as she gave her reluctant roommate's arm another tug. "I mean, he hasn't _asked_ me yet, or anything, but…oh, just come on!"

"Ah'm telling ya, she's not interested," Spam was saying as they approached.

"Of course she is," Illyana broke in as she slipped in beside Bobby, retaining her hold on Katherine's arm to keep her from bolting. "That's just Dani; she never knows what to say when she actually _is_ interested, so then she doesn't say anything. It's all very confusing, I know," she added sympathetically as the blonde boy stared at her in disbelief. "Bobby, Spam, I'd like you to meet my roommate Katherine," she inserted, pulling at her newest friend's arm to yank her into the conversation. Hmm…Katherine really needed a nickname, she mused as the taller girl stumbled forward, nearly tripping over her own boots. Also new shoes, but that could wait for tomorrow. She might even have some in her closet that would fit; the other girl's feet were bigger, but she never tried the silly things on at the store, so she was sure she had something that would be the right size. They'd have to check later.

Bobby stared for a moment, but as she'd expected, good manners took over and he smiled and reached out to take Katherine's hand, then dropped it when it became obvious that the girl was too dazed to take his. "Nice to meet you," he said. "So, are you enjoying the party?"

"It's certainly…different than I'd expected," Katherine replied awkwardly, then turned to look at Illyana instead. "Look, I don't think –"

"This was a good idea?" Spam interjected with a chuckle as he elbowed Bobby in the side. "Ah keep telling him that, but he never listens. Last time he threw an "Ah got kicked out of school," party, it got us kicked out of the next one too. Ah'm Sam, by the way. Nice hat," he added with a vague gesture toward her head but with obvious sincerity.

Illyana held her breath, afraid Katherine was going to explain where she'd got it, but instead reached up as if to remind herself what she was wearing. She still looked rather dazed, Illyana realized with a touch of smugness. When she moved as it to remove it, though, Bobby shook his head and grinned.

"No, leave it on – it looks good on you," he insisted, and Illyana was amazed to realize that he actually seemed to mean it. Spam – well, no, Sam…that she could see. Given what _he_ was wearing, he obviously had no clue as to what was in style. But Bobby…she cocked her head to look up at Katherine, studying her face, and ultimately nodded. "It does," she agreed, hiding her surprise. She wouldn't have thought such an ugly, pointy hat would look good on _anyone_, but somehow, it looked right on Katherine.

"Right. Look Illyana, I don't know what game you're playing, but I think I've had enough of it," Katherine said, pulling her eyes away from Bobby's face to meet those of her roommate.

"Oh, but you can't leave yet – you just got here!" Illyana protested. Her roommate shook her head, and she sighed. "Fine, we'll go then – Bobby could you be a sweetie and call us a carriage?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure. You really should stay though, y'know," he told Katherine as he turned to leave, Sam following along. "The party's just getting started."

"What are you up to?" Katherine asked, and Illyana shrank back a little beneath the intensity of her brown-eyed (odd, she'd assumed they'd be green, too) glare.

"Nothing!" she protested, then sighed and pulled out the wand she'd hidden in her sleeve. "Ms. Frost stopped by; she said you'd insisted on her including me in the sorcery seminar."

"Oh." Katherine's glare faded, and she turned a bit to look toward the dance floor. Illyana followed her softened gaze to where Jono was wheeling a laughing Paige around to the music, and felt a sharp pang of guilt. So, that was why Katherine'd requested that she be included. Hopefully, everything there would work out well, at least...

"Well, whatever your reason, I felt…well, as if maybe I'd gotten things off on the wrong foot?" Illyana suggested awkwardly, then grinned and cocked her head. "Tell you what – if you don't want to stay, we can go back and talk, ok?"

"But you're on a date," Katherine pointed out.

Illyana shrugged. "That's okay, it'll be an excuse to go on another one!" she countered with a grin. "You know, 'Well, since we hardly got to dance, we really should go out and celebrate again, don't you think?'" Her grin turned determinedly mischievous as she noticed the confused expression on Katherine's face, and she linked her arm through her roommate's and began leading her toward the door. Obviously, Katherine had a lot to learn.

* * *

Illyana was up to something, Katherine mused for the umpteenth time since they'd left the Oz Dust. True to his word, Bobby'd called them a carriage to take them back to their dorm, but somehow, he and Sam had managed to convince her to stay a while. She'd actually danced, twice – once with a somewhat awkward Sam, who seemed just as uncomfortable on the dance floor as she was herself, and once with Jono when he'd wheeled Paige over to say hello. And when they'd finally left, she'd spent the trip listening to her roommate talk nearly non-stop. And, much to her surprise, occasionally talking herself. 

It was more than a little disconcerting, she decided as she followed her still-babbling roommate into their shared bedroom and watched the blonde plop down on her bed. She wasn't accustomed to talking about herself – wasn't used to anyone being interested enough to ask. And yet, Illyana was asking, in a way that suggested she was actually engrossed in the answers.

"Now, Katherine," Illyana began as she rolled onto her side, heedless of any wrinkles she might be putting in the pink dress she was still wearing. Pausing, she wrinkled her nose and seemed to consider that for a moment. "You need a nickname," she decided, nodding.

"I really don't," Katherine replied as she sat down on her own bed and began removing her boots, but given the expression on her roommate's face she had a feeling that yet another of her objections was about to be brushed aside.

Illyana waved her hand in the air vaguely, proving her right, and shook her head. "You do," she said decisively. "Everyone needs a nickname. I think I'll call you…" she paused for a few moments and stared, as if the perfect name was going to appear on Katherine's forehead, then grinned. "Kitty!"

"Kitty?" Katherine exclaimed in disbelief as her mind summoned an incongruous image of someone who…well, who looked quite a bit like Illyana, now that she thought of it. Someone who definitely wasn't _her_, at any rate. "I don't think –"

"It's perfect!" Illyana interrupted, grinning over at her. "And you can call me…well, Illyana. How does that sound?"

Katherine (or Kitty, she reflected as she resigned herself to her fate) rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you want to pretend I'm a cat, go ahead." It wasn't an inaccurate analogy, at any rate. Her father had more than once accused her of hissing when she was angry.

Illyana giggled and sat up, then swung her legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward. "Okay, now that we're friends –"

"We are?" the newly rechristened Kitty interrupted, not bothering to hide her bemusement. Illyana had said that earlier at the party, but hadn't elaborated then, either. "When did that happen?"

Illyana sighed dramatically and waved her hand again, as if that explained everything. "Of _course_ we are. We're roommates, we just went to the most splenderific party, and you wore my hat! We're friends." She grinned in a way that made Kitty distinctly uncomfortable, then began tapping her perfectly manicured fingers on her leg. "In fact, I think you could have lots of friends, really. You just need…well, a little something here and there, really."

"Skin bleach?" Kitty proposed, rolling her eyes. While Illyana seemed in earnest, she couldn't quite imagine what exactly the other girl had in mind.

"Ewww – no, not skin bleach," Illyana disputed, wrinkling her nose, then paused and began studying her face. "Actually, green's a very nice color. Even for skin. Possibly a tiny bit hard to find clothes that complement it well, but that shouldn't be too big a problem…I have lots of clothes, and some of them should fit you. If not, we can always go shopping…"

"In the middle of the night? Illyana…what are you doing?" Kitty asked nervously as the other girl bounced to her feet and began rummaging through her dressing table.

"Giving you a makeover!" she replied, tossing a grin over her shoulder as she began pulling out cosmetics at random, only occasionally discarding some by tossing them back into the drawer. "Now, tell me all about yourself while I do it; it'll keep you from getting nervous."

It was a little too late for that, Kitty reflected as she watched Illyana carry the pile over and plop it down beside her. On the other hand…this _was_ kind of fun. Just the sort of thing one read about in books, but she'd never expected for herself. And if the results proved as humiliating as she fully expected, she could always wash them off in the bathroom without anyone being any wiser.

"There isn't much to tell," Kitty disclaimed as her roommate gestured for her to turn around and began unbraiding her hair. "I'm not all that interesting."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, of course you are! Let's see...oh! I know! You can tell me about that little green bottle you keep under your pillow! That's got to be a good story," Illyana reasoned aloud.

"It was my mother's," Kitty replied, closing her eyes and wishing she really did have some amusing story to tell about the bottle. Sadly, the facts weren't all that intriguing. "I really don't even know what it was from; I just found it in her room after she died and kept it to remember her by."

"Well, that's…interesting," Illyana replied, her tone making a lie of her words. "Was she poisoned or something? I mean, it looks like the perfect bottle for poison, really…"

"No, she died when Paige was born," Kitty admitted, biting her lip as if her roommate had tugged just a little too hard at her hair. Truthfully, this wasn't a story she really wanted to relate just now, though possibly it would be best to just get it over with. Once Illyana knew the truth, at least she'd abandon all pretensions of friendship. And with them, all makeover attempts. "It was my fault," she continued, her voice quiet.

"What was?" Illyana chirped from behind her. She was humming as she worked , Kitty noticed; the song that had been playing at the OzDust when they'd left the dance floor. For some reason, it was almost reassuring.

"My mother dying," she replied.

"Oh, don't be silly, you must've been what, two years old? Three?" Illyana countered, and Kitty nodded.

"Three. But, y'see," she turned around, ignoring her roommate's protests, and shrugged. "When my mother was pregnant with Paige, my father had her chew milk flowers all the time. So that Paige wouldn't be, well…"

"Green?" Illyana offered helpfully.

Kitty nodded, then sighed and leaned back on her arms. "Green. And she didn't – but she did come too early, and with her legs too weak to support her. And my mother…well, she never woke up."

Prepared for the same look of disdain that she was accustomed to seeing on her father's face, Kitty was surprised when instead Illyana rolled her eyes and smiled.

"That doesn't make it your fault, Kitty. All that means is that your father made your mother eat milk flowers, which he should've known aren't really edible." Her face assumed a puzzled expression for a moment, and she paused. "And y'know, I'm not at all sure milk flowers would stop anyone from being green anyway. I mean, they take grass stains out of clothes, but…that's different, I think."

Despite herself, Kitty had to smile at the considering expression on her roommate's face as she apparently tried to puzzle out whether or not milk flowers would remove green from someone's skin. "It doesn't work, no," Kitty replied, gesturing to her bare arm before her new friend could propose conducting an experiment. "I tried a few times."

"Well, then it was just silly of your father to begin with," Illyana reasoned as she began digging through her cosmetics. "Honestly, how could that be _your _fault? Hmm. Blue? No. Purple, no. Oh, here we go!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a compact with green and brown eye shadow. "Now, close your eyes, okay?"

Kitty obliged, more by instinct than through any thought on her part, and smiled as her roommate began singing under her breath. "Popular. You're gonna be pop-uu-lar…"

"Right," she replied sarcastically as she felt a brush dab something on her eyelids. Her, popular. Not that it wasn't a nice thought, but it was so outside the realm of possibilities that it was hard to resist the urge to laugh.

"Now, listen to me," Illyana said seriously as she stopped dabbing, and Kitty opened her eyes. "I may not know all the answers in class like you do, and I might not be able to make sense of the first chapter of your introductory magic text," she paused for a moment as if just realizing that she'd admitted to rummaging through Kitty's things, but then shrugged. "But popular is something I know _everything_ about. It's not hard."

"For you, maybe," Kitty conceded with a doubtful look.

"For _anyone_," Illyana corrected with a smile. "I mean, yes, it comes easy for me. But I can teach you. All you need are the right clothes, the right friends…"

"Like Amara?" Kitty replied with a roll of her eyes, then obligingly closed them as Illyana moved back in with the eyeshadow. If popularity required her to make friends with the resident princess who felt the need to sniff as if she'd smelled something bad whenever Kitty passed her in the hallway, she wanted no part of it.

"Well…okay, perhaps not Amara," Illyana conceded. "But who cares about Amara, anyway? The boys are far more important. Now, Bobby's friend Spam –"

"Sam," Kitty corrected.

"Sam, right. Anyway, he couldn't keep his eyes off you."

"Well, that's not altogether unusual," Kitty deadpanned, her face warming slightly. For once, she was grateful for her odd coloring that made visibly blushing impossible, though it wasn't Bobby's friend she was thinking of. Inwardly berating herself for being ridiculous, she continued. "It comes with being green. Normally they're trying to figure out whether or not they can ask if I ate too much grass as a toddler, or if the midwife dropped me in water that had a lot of algae in it."

Illyana snorted as she tilted her head to study Kitty's face, then nodded and commenced a new attack on her eyelids, this time with a brown pencil. "Now you're just being ridiculous," she countered confidently. "He was thinking no such thing. Lots of people go swimming in lakes and they don't end up green. Though sometimes their hair does," she added absently after a moment's reflection. "But it washes out. Make your eyes wider," she instructed, demonstrating with her own as if the sudden change of topic was nothing out of the ordinary.

Perhaps for her it wasn't, Kitty reflected, her lips curling up at the sight of her temporarily bug-eyed roommate. Nonetheless she found herself obliging, and fought the urge to blink as Illyana outlined her eyes with the pencil, content for the moment to listen as the blonde girl changed the subject back to the original, nearly forgotten one.

"Anyway, there's nothing to being popular," she lectured with the ease of someone who was an expert on the subject. "And you," she added with a grin, "have your own personal tutor, so it should be a piece of cake."

"Lucky me," Kitty replied, chuckling a bit as the other girl apparently took her observation at face value and preened. "Why exactly would I need one? And what's in it for you?"

"Well, you could be nice and help me with my homework," Illyana pointed out, ignoring her other question completely as she rummaged through the pile of make-up and emerged triumphantly with a tube of lipstick. "Think of it this way," she added as she began applying the lipstick, pursing her own lips as she stroked the makeup over Kitty's. "If you're going to work for the Wizard, you're going to be popular anyway. You're just…getting a head start." She dropped her hand and smiled, then exchanged the lipstick for a hand mirror and held it out. "See? I told you I could do it!"

Kitty's hand raised to her face as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, and despite her unique coloring was almost surprised to see that the girl in the mirror's hand echoed her movement. Whatever Illyana had done, she looked…entirely unlike herself. Her brown eyes, which Paige had once in a charitable moment proclaimed her best feature, appeared larger than usual, her lips fuller. Her hair, freed from its accustomed braid, framed her hair in loose curls. If not for her skin, she might actually have been…

"See? You look beautiful!" Illyana chirped, eerily echoing the thoughts that Kitty couldn't quite bring herself to think. "Oh, here – final touch," she said as she leaned forward and tucked a pink flower into her hair, then settled back, apparently very proud of herself. "Pink goes well with green."

"I…I have to go," Kitty announced, scrambling to her feet and heading toward the door to the hallway, fleeing her own altered reflection. Tomorrow - no, later today, she realized as she glanced at the window and noticed the sky was subtly lighter than it had been when they'd returned – she'd deal with the idea that her appearance might not actually be a lost cause. Maybe. It was a novel thought, and one that disconcerted her on some fundamental level, as if her entire self-image had been shaken by one glance in the mirror.

"You're welcome!" Illyana called after her, and she could hear her roommate begin gathering up her cosmetics as she closed the door behind her. Kitty took a deep breath, then started down the hallway that would lead her to the main entrance. Maybe all she needed was a little fresh air, and everything would fall back in to place.

* * *

"Liz-zeeeee!" 

Elizabeth's head jerked up, and she immediately flipped her notebook closed and stuffed it behind her back, wincing as her hand scraped against the bark of the tree she was leaning against. She supposed she was lucky she'd gone this long without interruptions, but she'd really hoped that Josh would have been too busy with his friends to come looking for her.

Apparently, her luck had run out.

"There you are!" he proclaimed as his ice slide swerved around a tree, reflecting light sparkling off both the slide and its creator as it came to a not quite abrupt stop before her. "I've been looking _everywhere_ for you," he informed her with an impish albeit icy grin. "Where've you been, anyway?"

"Right here, duh," she informed him with a roll of her eyes as she grinned in response. Honestly, Josh was so annoying sometimes. "What's the matter, still can't do dad's trick with the heat patterns or something?"

Unsurprisingly, his eyes narrowed, even as his bottom lip popped up just a bit. Which looked so silly on a face made of ice that she nearly giggled, and would .

"No," he complained, scuffing one foot against the slide. "And it's no fair, because he uses it to cheat at hide and seek."

"Because it would be so much _more_ fair for you to use it to cheat?" she pointed out, then smirked as he paused to consider the question.

"Well, Mr. Summers says you should use any tacti..tac…" he paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Advantage," he concluded, obviously hoping she wouldn't notice the skipped word. "So it'd kinda be fair…"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes again. Josh was always quoting Uncle Scott, had even taken to calling him Mr. Summers like the rest of the kids in his after-school powers class. Not that it was all that much a _class_, in her opinion; she'd come along to watch a few times, and it was mostly just the little kids goofing around with their powers. But her mom said it gave Josh a chance to cut loose and see what he could do without hurting himself or anyone else, so she brought him once a week.

Still, that didn't make him an expert on tactics. Especially when it came to hide and seek.

"Like you don't have enough advantage, just being see-through," she complained, curling her legs in so she could sit cross-legged. "Anyway, you're not supposed to be sliding with no adults around," she pointed out, gesturing toward the ice slide.

Josh just grinned. "I'm _practicing_," he informed her. "And Jubilee's back there somewhere, she told me to come get you. So there's an adult."

"Not according to dad," Elizabeth replied with a smirk. "Jubilee doesn't count; she still gets into more trouble than you do. Ice down, or I'm telling."

Grumbling, her brother jumped to the ground. "You're no fun," he complained as his icy face was replaced by one of an identical shape in flesh and blood, sporting hair as dark as her mom's and blue eyes her father maintained Josh had inherited from Grandma Maddie. Elizabeth wasn't convinced. Personally, she figured he just spent so much time iced up that his eyes never completely de-iced, because regardless of his form, they never changed color.

"I know I'm not," she replied after resolving to herself to ask Uncle Hank whether or not she was right. He always knew about stuff like that. "But I don't want to have to explain to mom and dad again how you shattered your arm into icy little bits, either."

"Oh come on, that was ages ago," Josh argued. "I'm a whole lot better at it now."

"That was not even a year ago, and…well, you had no arm," she pointed out, her expression growing concerned despite her efforts to act as if she didn't really care. "If Dad hadn't been able to show you how to fix it…"

She watched as Josh's face paled slightly even as he crossed her arms over his chest. Her brother was nothing if not stubborn, but she'd been there when it had happened. He'd been terrified, and so had she. "I need practice. And I need your help too, Lizzie – you gotta talk mom into letting me stay when vacation's over. How'm I ever gonna get to lead the New Mutants if I'm only here a couple hours a week?"

"Like that's gonna happen anyway?" she pointed out, fighting an urge to laugh at the indignant look on his face. "Look, there's nothing I'd like better than to have you here rather than hogging the bathroom at home, but it's not gonna happen. You're not old enough." Granted, the first part wasn't entirely true; she loved her brother, and would miss him if he weren't around. But she wasn't about to tell him that. Not now. Preferably not ever.

"What's Jubilee want, anyway?" Elizabeth asked, changing the subject before Josh could argue his case further. As expected, her brother was easily diverted by the mention of his favorite "aunt" (even if she did refuse to let them call her that), and a smile replaced the determined expression he'd been wearing.

"Baseball game!" he replied. "Her advisees against Uncle Sam's. She says she's short players and you're the best short stop she's got, but you've gotta hurry. They're getting ready to start the game."

"Tell her I'll be right there – and _walk_ back," she called after him as he started off on an ice slide, this time without icing up first. She giggled as his shoulders dropped and he jumped down, then watched as he hopped back down off the slide and very deliberately began walking back towards the school. Leave it to Josh – he just couldn't resist pushing the rules, and she had to admit (though not to him) that he really was good with his powers. Someday, he just might get his dream and end up leading the New Mutants, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be for six or seven years. She just couldn't quite picture teenagers following her ten year old brother anywhere. Even if the adults would allow it, which they wouldn't.

Devoutly hoping that she would never be on any team led by her younger brother (he might be good at it, but…just so, so wrong), Elizabeth turned around to retrieve her notebook, then got to her feet. It was a good spot for a break anyway, and Josh was right about one thing at least. If they were playing Uncle Sam's team, Jubilee needed all the help she could get.

* * *

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